watchOS 6 uncouples Apple’s wearable with the iPhone

A common theme that seems to be running at WWDC 2019 is Apple unbundling a lot of its devices’ reliance on each other. With the iPad getting its own operating system of sorts, watchOS 6 is introducing some new features that will make the Apple Watch a bit more independent from the iPhone. The apps on the wearable can now be run locally without having a companion app installed on a paired iPhone. There are new apps being introduced including audiobooks, voice memos, and a calculator. New APIs will let apps stream audio directly to the watch. watchOS 6 will also make it possible to read data for longer periods than before. This new version of watchOS will also bring an actual App Store where you can browse, pay, and download apps right on the watch.

On a cosmetic level, there are new watchfaces to choose from. There are also new health features you might find useful. watchOS 6 can track your hearing health in noisy environments and track a woman’s cycle right from the watch. iPhone users will also get this feature within the Health app (without needing the Apple Watch). This version of watchOS is coming to developers this week with a public launch set this fall. All Apple Watch models will get the new OS update, but not all features will make it to all versions.

Source: The Verge

Niantic won’t support ‘Pokémon Go’ on the Apple Watch starting July 1st

Starting next month, Apple Watch owners who play Pokémon Go won’t be able to use that version of the app anymore. According to its developer Niantic, it’ll end support starting July 1^st. While the full game couldn’t be played on the Apple Watch, it let users show how much they needed to walk before hatching an egg, how many experience points they’ve earned, and when there was a Pokémon or Pokéstop nearby. Niantic opted to get rid of the feature because it introduced Adventure Sync last year, which also tracked a player’s step in the background and something the Apple Watch did. But according to Niantic, now “trainers will no longer have to split their gameplay between 2 devices.”

Source: The Verge

OhMiBod’s remote vibrators can be controlled via upcoming Apple Watch app

If you take your personal pleasure seriously, or want your Apple Watch to help you out, OhMiBod has plans to launch an Apple Watch app as well as an Alexa Skill for its pleasure products. The Apple Watch app will make use of the Pulse feature and your heart rate to control the intensity of the company’s Bluetooth-enabled vibrators. Meanwhile, the Alexa Skill, which is expected to arrive later in the spring, will let you control your OhMiBod vibrators using voice control alone. It’s not clear how either will work but we’ll probably hear more when these features launch.

Source: Engadget

Apple releases new version of its charging dock for the Apple Watch

Apple seems to have tweaked its Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock and taken out its older model. The new one carries a model number of MU9F2AM/A and shows up on the on the online Apple Store. The previous version carried a model number of MLDW2AM/A. There doesn’t seem to be any design tweaks to the dock, which suggests the new model has some minor internal updates added to it. Apple hasn’t announced why it updated the dock in the first place.

But this new Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock has received FCC approval, according to a filing shared today. It didn’t indicate though any new information on said dock. The Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock is available for $99 and will start delivery on November 16. You should see it in retail stores soon.

Source: MacRumors